A Joyous Christmas!

Be sure to take time over this Christmas season to sit at the feet of Jesus and ponder the wonder and majesty of our Savior's birth. God sent His Son into the world not to condemn the world but to save the world through Him. May you discover wonder anew as you remember the One who came to make all things new!

Blessings from the Women Alive Bloggers!

Is My Environment Conducive to Productivity? - Part 2

Continued from last week's post...

"Being raised in such an environment would certainly make it far more credible for a person to conceive of himself as a person of destiny," Jack Hayford mused aloud that thought while overlooking Blenheim Palace, the birthplace and home of Winston Churchill. The grand, the regal and the noble captured his imagination and while driving from that special place, he asked his wife Anna to write the words as they came to him. "Majesty, worship His majesty, unto Jesus be all glory honour and praise." In that environment the well loved song was birthed.
Hayford wrote in his book Worship His Majesty, "I don't mean that buildings and beauty can beget greatness, but I do feel that some people fail to perceive their possibilities because of their dismal surroundings."

Do you agree with Hayford's statement? If so, what could you do this week to enhance your environment?

Hayford states that the song Worship His Majesty was refined and edited at the piano but it was "born in a moment of envisioning the power of the majestic to transform a people and infuse them with a sense of significance and destiny."

How about envisioning the majestic in your life right now? Watch for the transformation as you meditate on what is yours as a child of God.

Is My Environment Conducive to Productivity? - Part 1

As I sat down to write today, I had a look around my office. Just above my file cabinet is a beautiful needlepoint design of Isaiah 40:31 carefully stitched by a special friend."Those that hope in the Lord will renew their strength..." On the cabinet itself are some artefacts from Israel, prompting memories of the trip of a lifetime. Behind me are my books, each a contributor to my learning or sheer pleasure. On the top shelf in brushed bronze is the word IMAGINE. Beside the bookshelf is a large numbered painting by Lee Harvey called Unto the Least of These. Every wall houses something to encourage, uplift or trigger pondering thoughts.
I'm surrounded by creativity. In this environment, I'm stimulated to pour out my heart and give my very best. (On most days!)

Take a look around your workspace? Is it conducive to productivity?

Share with us what you do to create an atmosphere of stimulation in your work area.

A Squash or an Oak: Which would you rather be?

Continued from last week....

As there are stages in growing a flower, so there are stages in leadership development. Lessons must be learned that will “grow” you as you move from one stage to another. In each stage you will come to understand who you are as a leader and discover more and more of your gifts and gift-mixes. You will need to develop key leadership characteristics that are vital to growth just as a flower must weather adverse conditions to fully grow and bloom.

In leadership, the inner growth of a leader is much more important than the visible signs of a developing idea. Inner growth has to do with self discovery and God discovery. As you ‘weather’ challenges and changes, you will have a growing understanding of who you are and greater understand who God is. That vital root system, based on relationship, is critical to life-time growth and development.

A leadership professor once asked his students: “Which would you rather be: a squash or an oak?”

The question confused students. They didn’t understand the connection to leadership.
“A squash,” he explained, “grows quickly from a seed, weathers the summer, but dies in inclement winter weather because it has no root system. An oak, on the other hand, withstands every storm and all weather patterns because of its root system. It is deeply embedded in the earth.”

So, get ready, my friend. Take the first step….you are a leader in the making. Just remember to build a strong root system with Christ as your foundation.

~ Margaret